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[Opening titles and description for 45 seconds]
DALE CHIHULY: Forty-three years ago, um, I applied for a Fulbright, to go to Italy and
study glass.
DALE CHIHULY: I was the first glassblower, I think, from the United States to, to go
work in Venice, and I was very lucky to get a Fulbright, and very lucky to get, uh, Ludovico
di Santo Liana, the director of the Venini Factory, which is the most important factory
in Murano. I wrote letters to all the factories in Italy, and got one favorable letter back
from Ludovico di Santo Liana saying I could come and observe for a couple of weeks.
DALE: The Fulbright students, all went over together on the, S.S. Michelangelo, I was
onboard that day, and I had a good friend of mine, the White Eagle, came to see me off,
and I was a little depressed, I had a battery-operated record player, and I had Bob Dylan's "Blond
on Blond" album playing, and the White Eagle tell me, "Chihuly, look it," he says, "when
you get to Venice, first thing, shave off that beard. Second thing, buy a new shirt.
Third thing, get a pair of wrap-around shades, and don't look back."
DALE: I went to Venice, I had a letter that would take me to Venini that I could go work
in the factory, at least for a little while, it was an invitation. Fortunately, just at
that time they were being offered a commission, for a piece of sculpture in Ferrara, I said,
"let me do the scale model of this commission," and he said, "sure," so I, I worked for a
couple of weeks of making a model using plastic, and blown glass balls, and neon, and, and
I got a little studio on the top of the factory, and got access to all the glass blowers and
the designers...
DALE: Glassblowing all around the world is secretive, but especially secretive in Venice,
and in the kind of the heyday of the Venetian Empire, 'round the 15th or 16th century, all
the glassblowers were kept on the little island of Murano, and, they weren't allowed to leave,
they were given a good salary, and lots of perks, but they were not to leave Murano ever,
and if they got caught trying to leave Murano, they were beheaded, and if they got to England,
they were knighted.
DALE: I was too intimidated to blow glass myself because I was such a lousy glassblower,
compared to, you know, the greatest that there were, but I watched and I learned, and I saw
the team in action, and by the time I went home, I started using all this information...
DALE: If it weren't for the Fulbright, I would've never probably had the chance to go to Venice,
it was such a wonderful opportunity for me, and, it sort of - probably more than any single
thing in my career - has, has shaped my career, and I wanna thank all of you for that opportunity...